Could someone explain what they add to or use to modify regular metal stakes for goose decoys to give them motion? And in gusty winds is there a way to prevent them from making the decoys spin around? I have some Higdon shells that I'll need to drill a hole in so I can get them off the ground, any tips on that? Will the difference in the feeder heads vs. the sentry & rester heads mean I'll have headaches with changing balance points and need to label some of the shells for feeder head use? Thanks for any help.

Keep in mind one thing. If you have all your decoys wobbling side to side as feeders do, is that same motion going to appear correct in a sentinal or rester? It's not much side to side movement in the upright heads to be sure, but real geese bodies do wobble, but heads and necks don't so much when upright and walking. Not as noticeable in a feeder because it's in-line rather than vertical.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WQ6UBQjnV0

Thanks for your info. But the reason I want to use stakes is because many times the shells are hidden by the surrounding cover getting them off the ground allows me the option depending on field conditions to elevate or not. I want to give them motion and I do remember something about the part being available at hardware stores. I just don't remember what the partis or how its atteched.

I think most guys use one of the friction type washers with internal teeth that lock onto the stake. The local surplus store often has thick rubber washers that would serve a similar purpose and probably add a little friction. As far as the hole location I do mine all the same. In most cases all the heads balance fairly evenly . If they don't I just slant the stake whichever direction I need to to get balance.

I did some playing around with stake vs no stake and found out that staking them did provide more profile and visibility. I think if you are hunting pressured geese it may gain you a slight edge.. I guess I look at it this way, right or wrong, Geese are more reluctant to land in tall stubble. Shells on the ground may give them the impression that the stubble is tall and move geese off the pocket looking for a place to land.

A shell on a stake looks like a half a goose in the air unless the birds are coming right over the top.Better off savings for a few full bodies. But as mentioned above the flag is magical! It's almost as important at calling or better!

Takeem406 wrote:A shell on a stake looks like a half a goose in the air unless the birds are coming right over the top.Better off savings for a few full bodies. But as mentioned above the flag is magical! It's almost as important at calling or better!

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By the time the pea brained bird realizes the decoy is a shell on a stake and only looks like half a bird you better have shot it in the face already.

i did this to a bunch of my shells. Balance them on your finger (with heads on) and drill the hole from the inside. The balance point will be different for feeders than resters so I only did feeders. I actually drilled all of them but only put the stakes on the feeders. It makes it easier in the mornings. One more note- I painted the ends of the stakes white so it makes it easier to see and align the stakes and the holes in the dark> I'll put some sticks into the ground to limit the head swing from side to side, when in the snow I'll just clump up a couple of piles on each side.

If the ocean was made of WHISKEY and I was a DUCK I'd swim to the bottom and get all F!@#% up!

With my goose shells the first thing I did was take the metal stakes that came with them and throw the SOBs away... Damn things added about 12 pounds to a bag of 3 doz shells. Went to home depot and bought a bunch of 1/2" dowels. Got home cut them to the length I wanted, used a bench grinder to put a point on one end for shoving them in the ground and then used the grinder to make the other end fit the hole/slot in the back of the decoy. Paint them black and you're ready to rock. The looser you fit the dowel to the hole in the dekes the more movement. Works great, saves weight, and it's cheap.

As I'll always say, motion is over-rated. A flag is the best motion you can get.

tornadochaser wrote:Unless you need stakes to get the decoys up out of stubble for visibility, they really aren't necessary. A flag is all the motion you need.

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dead on

Sportdog7 wrote:Thanks for your info. But the reason I want to use stakes is because many times the shells are hidden by the surrounding cover getting them off the ground allows me the option depending on field conditions to elevate or not. I want to give them motion and I do remember something about the part being available at hardware stores. I just don't remember what the partis or how its atteched.

Your decoys might seam somewhat hidden to you, but I assure you, from way high up in the air untill the last minute before you shoot, those birds can see them fine. They have an airal view of your spread, not just a horizon view if you will.

I agree motion is overrated. I hunt over all Bigfoot decoys and FFD shells and I have no problems killing geese right at my feet. Visibility would be the only reason to put them on stakes IMO. Be where they wanna be, be concealed, a lil bit of flagging and a few realistic sounds and you should be killing geese.